Recoil-brake for ordnance.



K. vb'LLBR.

BEGOIL BRAKE FOB. ORDNANOB.

APPLICATION FILED 061'. 19, 1905.

Patented Sept. 26,1911.

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COLUMBIA pumcaun CO-IWMNINODON. n. c.

K. VGLLBR. noon. BRAKE ron onnmmcs.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 19, 1906. v Patented Sept; 26, 1911 I'NVENTD RATru RN EYJ K. VDLLBR. RBGOIL BRAKE FOR ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION IILBD'OOT. 19, 1905.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3. l

0.. WASHINGTON n c Bacon. BRAKE FOB ORDNANGE.

- APPLIUATION FILED 0O,T. 19, 1905.

1 ,004, 1 1 6. Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

4 BHEETS-8HEET 4.

IOLUIBM PLANOGIAPH CO-. WASHINGTON. D. C.

Z vmuRNEvs? UNITED srarns rarniar caries.

KARL V6LLER, 0F DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RHEINISCHE METALLWAREN-UND MASCHINENFABRIK, OF DUQSELDOR-F-DERENDORF, GERMANY.

REGOIL-BRAKE FOR ORDNANCE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL VoLLnR, engineer, a subject of the GermanEmperor, residing at 4:7 Fiilicherstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Recoil-Brakes forOrdnance; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a recoil brake for ordnance in which the gunrecoils upon the carriage, and it has for its object a construction bymeans of which the brake pressure or fluid pressure existing in thebrake cylinder during the recoil and during the running forward, can beaccurately varied according to definite laws corresponding to thetheoretical or practical requirements, such for example, as isnecessaryon the elevation of the gun being altered.

My invention consists for this purpose, in that for varying the inlet oroutlet openings for the brake liquid, radially movable slides arearranged in a piston body fixed on the piston rod which, on the movementof the brake cylinder, slide along a curved guide.

A construction for carrying out the said invention is shown on theaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a side View of the-gun with a longitudinal section of thebrake apparatus at the moment of the commencement of the recoil of thegun when this is in a horizontal position; Fig. 2 shows the same view ofthe said parts at the end of the recoil of the gun in the horizontalposition; Figs. 3 and 4 show in the same way the beginning and end ofthe recoil with the gun in an in clined position; Fig. 5 shows upon anenlarged scale, a longitudinal sect-ion through the brake piston and thecontiguous parts in the position corresponding to Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is across section on line AB of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 shows the same parts as Fig.5 when in the position shown at Fig. 3, Fig. 8 shows a cross section online CD at Fig. 7. Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrative of theprinciples involved in one feature of my invention.

As shown at Fig. 1 there is combined with the gun a in the usual mannerthe brake cylinder 7), which is built into the upper gun Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1905.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Serial No. 283,406.

which I will call a guide-bar. This guidebar therefore moves backwardand forward with the gun, it is formed cylindrical only at its front endwhich serves to guide it in the hollow of the piston rod. The other partof the guide-bar has a longitudinally profiled shape.

On the free end of the piston rod d is mounted the brake piston which isof peculiar construction shown at Figs. 5 to S. The piston consists of amiddle disk f which is guided in the brake cylinder and is in contactwith the entire periphery thereof; it is formed with axial channels 9and g for the passage of fluid, with which communicate radial slots inwhich are radially movable slides h and 71/ According as these slidesproject more or less or not at all into the channels 9 and 9 they eitherrestrict or entirely close the channels against the flow of the brakingfluid, or they leave them entirely open. The slides h and 71 extendthrough the sides of the piston rod and bear with their inward directedends against the side of the guide bar 6 which is presented to them. Inthe example shown they are held by springs i continuously in contactwith the guide bar. With this construction the slide it controls therecoil and the slide if the forward run.

In front and behind the piston disk 7 there are mounted upon the pistonrod valve disks 7a and k that can slide longitudinally but cannot turnthereon and that are so formed that onbearing against f the disk 70covers the upper channel 9 and the disk k the lower channel 9 I willfirst consider the recoil of the gun in the horizontal position. Thelongitudinal profile of the guide bar 6 is in this case formed by theupper boundary line shown at Fig. 1 from'which it will be seen that atthe rear end of the piston rod'the profile line is nearest to the axisof the piston rod and gradually rises in the forward direct-ion, until,at a distance that corresponds to the recoil of the gun in thehorizontal position, it terminates in the cylindrical surface of thefront part of the guide bar. If now, during the recoil, the guide barmoves backward, at which time it will be noted that the piston rodtogether with the piston remained stationary, the upper profile of theguide bar will press the slide it out of the position shown in Figs. 1and 5 upward into the channel g, so that during the recoil this channelwill be gradually restricted as shown at Fig. 7 and at the end of therecoil (Fig. 2) it will be entirely closed. At the commencement of therecoil also the disk will be forced, by the pressure of the fluid,against the disk f, while the disk is will be forced backward awaytherefrom as shown at Fig. 5. The lower channel 9 is consequently closedduring the recoil and the braking fluid only passes through the channelg which is gradually restricted and closed during the recoil as abovedescribed.

At the forward run on the other hand, the commencement of which is shownat Fig. 2, the disk 70 will bear against the piston f thereby closingthe channel 9, while disk 70 is pushed away, thereby opening channel 9If now the slide k were not provided, then during the entire forward runthe cross sectional area for the flow of braking fiuid would remain thesame. The guide bar 6, however, has also on its underside a cam surfaceof such form that also during the forward run, the slide if is made togradually restrict and eventually to close the channel 9 Thelongitudinal profile or cam surface of the guide bar is, however, notrestricted to the upper and lower side in the horizontal position of thegun, but passes around its periphery. It is, however, not the same atall parts but is varied in such manner that the cam surface, in thehorizontal position of the gun, reaches up to the cylindrical part ofthe guide bar and is as long as the longest recoil; is reduced in aplane shifted say 45 from the above position to about the half of thelongest recoil and reaches up to the cylindrical surface of the guidebar at the middle point between the commencement and end of the abovementioned cam surfaces. In Figs. 3 and 4 this alteration of thelongitudinal profile is shown, it being assumed that the guide bar hasbeen turned through a certain angle relative to the piston. In reality,theguide bar retains its position, while the piston rod with the pistonis turned on altering the elevation in the known manner. In thelongitudinal sectional planes lying between the two abovementionedlimits, the length of upon a helical line which connects the two limitsZ and Z together. Otherwise, the recoil cam surface has, at everysectional plane,

.the same inclination to the central axis of the piston rod (Figs. 1 to4), so that at 70 every cross section of the guide bar the cam surfacesare at a different distance from the central axis of the piston rod, andas a consequence the cross section presents an eccentric form as seen atFigs. 6 and 8. In consequence of the rotation of the piston rod, theslides 72, and if come in contact with different cam surfaces of theguide bar. Figs. 3 and 4 show the position of the parts for the greatestangle of elevation. Fig. 3 shows the commencement of the recoil. Inconsequence of the rotation of the piston rod, the slide h will havearrived upon a shallower portion of the cam surface and is thereby madeto close the channel 9 to the extent of about one half, at thecommencement of the recoil as shown in Fig. 7. The cam surface of theguide bar terminates in the operating position thereof in the middle ofZ (Figs. 3 and 4), and the chan- 9O nel g is therefore closed at onehalf of the longest recoil as shown in Fig. 4, so that the gun isbrought to a standstill. By the rotation of the piston rod theconditions have also been altered in respect of the forward run, namelythey are the reverse of the conditions for the recoil. While in thehorizontal position of the gun at the commencement of the forward runFig. 2, the channel 9 is about half closed, on the increase of the 0 velevation it will be opened to a greater extent and at the greatestelevation, it will be entirely opened as at Fig. 4. The cam surfaces ofthe guide bar for the forward run are therefore formed in the oppositemanner to those for the recoil.

With the described construction, the cam surfaces for the radialshifting of the slides, for the forward run and recoil, can be variedaccording to circumstances. While in the described example it is assumedthat the slides, in following the surfaces of the guide bar, are, duringthe recoil, progressively removed from the center line of the piston rodand during the forward run progressively approach the same, ifcircumstances should make it desirable, the continuity could beinterrupted or varied at certain points. For example, by means of thedescribed construction the action might be made such that the channelsfor the flow of braking fluid are increased instead of decreased duringthe recoil on elevating the gun. Such a construction of the guide barmight, for example, be desirable if, in the case of field guns, ashortening or extension of the recoil, on varying the elevation of thegun, be not desired but on the other hand it the cam surfaces of theguide bar continu 5 be desired that the fluid pressure within the allydecreases. The end points therefore lie 5 brake cylinder, shall remainas nearly as possible the same at all angular positions of the gun andshallnot increase when the gun is elevated.

In the described arrangement the. inner surface of the brake cylinder isperfectly smooth and does not contain any grooves or projecting ribswhich, ,in consequence of wear, may easily lose their properconfiguration and which are of very diflicult const-ruction on the innersurface of the cylinders, while on the other hand, the formation of thecam surfaces on the outer surface of the guide bar is very simple. Thecam surface can, during its construction and afterward, be accuratelygaged by means of templets and, if necessary, corrected. The slides arealso of very simple construction and can be easily replaced by new oneswhen they or the cam surfaces become worn.

In the described construction the regulating slides are kept, by meansof springs, against the guide bar; but they may, how ever, be soarranged as to receive a prescribed motion thereon if there be providedon the guide bar other cam surfaces parallel and therefore in theopposite direction to the working cam surfaces, the slides being soformed as to embrace both such cam sur faces, in which case the slidesfor the forward run and the recoil, can be arranged in different planes.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I have illustrated diagrammatically an underlyingfeature of the preferred form of my invention. As will be fullyunderstood by those skilled in the art, the function of the recoildevice is to oppose a resistance to the recoil of the gun, whereby theenergy of recoil is expended in work in overcoming the said resistance.The most favorable method of applying this resistance, as is well known,is to maintain a substantially uniform resistance pressure throughoutthe recoil, whereby the amount of the resistance pressure which is to beapplied to overcome the recoil of the gun will be a continually actingmean pressure instead of fluctuating between a maximum and a minimum.Under the latter conditions, viz-when the pressure fluctuates between a.maximum and a minimum, the parts must all be constructed to withstandthe maximum pressure, thereby rendering them heavier, and in addition,the recoil is not steady and a severe straining of the carriage takesplace. In Fig. 9, which represents the action which takes place at zeroelevation of the gun, that is to say, when the gun is level, the amountof work which must be done by the resistance of the recoil device isindicated by the area of the rectangle, having the length a equal to thelength of recoil at zero elevation, and the height I; which representsthe value of the resistance pressure. In practice, probably owing toslight variations in the frictional resistance at dif.--

ing or openings.

ferent parts of the recoil, it is not always possible to attain theideal condition of an absolutely uniform pressure throughout the recoil,but the curve of pressure usually occurring in practice will varyslightly from the true rectangle. This is indicated by the heavyirregular line shown in Fig. 9. This resistance pressure consists, asidefrom fric tional resistance of the moving parts, of spring pressure andthe fluid pressure in the recoil cylinder. Theoretically, the springpressure would be represented diagrammatically by a right angle triangleor (where the spring has an initial pressure even in its most extendedposition, namely, when the gun is in its position for firing) by ageometrical figure formed by a right angle triangle whose base restsupon a rectangle. This is on the assumption that a spring can be made inwhich the tension will increase in direct proportion to the decrease inlength. Since in practice, springs can rarely be made which will fullymeet this theoretical condition, the diagram representing the realspring pressure varies some what from the ideal diagram. In order thatthe diagram of resistance pressure may be substantially a rectangle, thefluid pressure, in the recoil cylinder should give a diagram in whichthe ordinates of the curve representing the fluid pressure are equal tothe difference between the corresponding ordinates of the rectangle andthe spring pressure, that is to say, the value of the spring pressure atany instant, plus the value of the fluid pressure at the same instantshould always be equal to the sum of the corre sponding values at anyother instant throughout the recoil, at any particular an gle ofelevation. Theoretically, the diagram of the fluid pressure would be atriangle but 'in practice it deviates from this ideal. The

fluid pressure at any instant depends upon the velocity of discharge ofthe fluid in the brake-cylinder through the throttling open- As thisvelocity of discharge depends upon the velocity of recoil Eat the sameinstant (which velocity varies at different instants) as well as uponthe area gof the discharge or throttling opening at the .same instant,and upon some modifying .causes such as the viscosity of the braking:fluid, the vortex action and the frictional resistance of the liquid inpassing through said opening, and as the latter vary With variations ofvelocity of recoil, the curve which represents the area of the dischargeopening during the recoil at any given angle of ele vation, is not asimple curve and does not necessarily follow the same law as the curvewhich represents the area of the throttling opening at some other angleof elevation. In Fig. 9, c is supposed to indicate the curve whoseordinates represent the areas of the throttling opening at therespective stages of the recoil. In this diagram, it is assumed that ifthe variation in the area of the throttling opening follows the lawrepresented by said curve 0, the resistance pressure of the recoildevice will be substantially uniform throughout the recoil at thehorizontal position of the gun. It has been found possible in practiceheretofore to construct throttling devices so that the area of dischargewould vary during the recoil at a certain angle of elevation so as togive a substantially uniform resistance pressure throughout the recoilat the particular angle, but in such prior construction, a change in theangle of elevation would introduce other conditions such as, forexample, a change in the action of gravity on the gun, and a demand fora variation in the length of the recoil, whereby the resistance pressurewould not remain substantially uniform throughout the recoil at suchother angle of elevation, for the reason, that in such priorconstructions, the area of the throttling opening was diminished inpassing from one angle of elevation to another by a certain amount whichamount of diminution of area was fixed throughout the recoil at thatparticular angle of elevation. By my invention, the resistance pressureof the recoil device is maintained substantially uniform throughout eachrecoil of the gun, although the value of such uni- I form resistancepressure at one angle of elevation may be different from the value ofthe substantially uniform resistance pressure at some other angle ofelevation. In the preferred form of construction, the value of theuniform resistance pressure increases with an increase of the angle ofelevation, though not necessarily in direct proportion to the angle ofelevation. Fig. 10 of the drawing illustrates the diagram supposed to beobtained at some positive angle of elevation wherein the recoil isshortened. Under these conditions, the shaded rectangle a, 7) representsthe ideal curve of resistance pressure, the full line, the curve whichmight be actually obtained in practice and c a rotary recoil controllingelement having the curve whose ordinates indicate the area of thethrottling opening or openings at the particular instant considered. Inthe embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, I attain theabove results by proproper value of the uniform pressure necessary toact on the gun to stop it at that length of recoil. Moreover, ashereinbefore explained, the same guide-bar also provides for a propercontrol of the throttling action during the counter recoil and at eachangle of elevation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is: v

1. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a recoil element having anindependently operating recoil-controlling means for each angle ofelevation of the gun, said controlling means starting from a differentpoint for each of such angles of elevation, whereby any desiredpredetermined control of the recoil at any angle of elevation may beobtained.

2. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying an automatically adjustedrecoil element having an independently-operating recoilcontrolling meansfor each angle of elevation of the gun, said controlling means startingfrom a difierent point for each of such angles of elevation, whereby anydesired predetermined control of the recoil at any angle of elevationmay be obtained.

3. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a rotary recoil element havingindependently operating recoil controlling means for each angle ofelevation of the gun.

4:. A recoil brake for ordnance, embodying a recoil controlling elementhaving an individual guiding surface for each angle of elevation of thegun, and a fluid controlling means guided by said surfaces.

5. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a rotary recoil controllingelement having separate operating means for each angle of elevation ofthe gun, and a fluid controlling member co-acting with the element.

6. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a recoil controlling elementhaving operating surfaces for each angle of elevation of the gun, andthrottling members co-acting with the element.

7 A recoil brake for ordnance embodying operating surfaces for eachangle of eleva- 8. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a recollcontrolling element having operating surfaces for each angle ofelevation of the gun, and shiftable slides co-acting with the element.

9. A recoil brake for ordnance embodying a rotary recoil controllingelement having operating surfaces for each angle of elevation of thegun, and shiftable slides coacting with the element.

10. The combination with a gun, a recoil device arranged to check therecoil of said gun, and controlling means for controlling said recoildevice, of mechanism having a ioo plurality of independently-operatingsura resistance pressure to recoil that is substantially uniformthroughout each recoil, the value of such resistance pressure changingwith a change in the elevation of the gun.

14. The combination with a gun, of means for maintaining at all anglesof elevation, a resistance pressure to recoil that is substantiallyuniform throughout each recoil, the value of such resistance pressureincreasing with an increased elevation of the gun.

15. The combination, with a gun and a recoil device, of means formaintaining, at all angles of elevation, a resistance pressure of therecoil device substantially uniform throughout each recoil.

1G. The combination, with a gun and a recoil device, of means formaintaining, at all angles of elevation, a resistance pressure of therecoil device substantially uniform throughout each recoil, the value ofsuch resistance pressure changing with a change in elevation of the gun.

17. The combination, with a gun and recoil device, of means formaintaining at all angles of elevation, a resistance pressure of therecoil device substantially uniform throughout each recoil, the value ofsuch resistance pressure increasing with an increase in elevation of thegun.

18. In a recoil brake for guns of the kind herein referred to, thecombination with the piston of the brake cylinder, having channels forthe passage of the braking fluid, of radially movable slides adapted tovary the sectional area of said channels during the recoil and forwardrun, which slides during the motion of the brake cylinder, slide againstcam surfaces on a guide bar fixed to the brake cylinder, substantiallyas described.

19. In a recoil brake for guns of the kind herein referred to, thecombination with the piston of the brake cylinder, having channels forthe passage of the braking fluid, of radially movable slides adapted tovary the sectional area of said channels during the recoil and forwardrun, which slides during the motion of the brake cylinder, slide againstcam surfaces on a guide bar fixed to the brake cylinder, said guide barhaving on its periphery variously formed cam surfaces, so that on therotation of the piston and piston rod, the radial slides are therebyshifted relatively to the said channels so as to vary the sectional areathereof and thereby to produce the minimum sectional area at an extentof recoil which is the shorter the greater is the elevation of the gunand the consequent extent of rotation of the piston rod.

20. In a recoil brake for guns of the kind .herein referred to, thecombination with the piston of the brake cylinder, having channels forthe passage of the braking fluid, of radially movable slides adapted tovary the sectional area of said channels during the recoil and forwardrun, which slides during the motion of the brake cylinder, slide againstcam surfaces on a guide bar fixed to the brake cylinder, the sectionalarea of the piston channels that are closed during the recoil and areopen during the forward run, being varied by the radial slides insliding against the cam surface of the guide bar, while the channels forthe recoil remain closed substantially as described.

21. In a recoil brake for guns of the kind herein referred to, thecombination with the piston of the brake cylinder having channels forthe passage of the braking fluid, of radially movable slides adapted tovary the sectional area of said channels during the recoil and forwardrun, which slides during the motion of the brake cylinder, slide againstcam surfaces on a guide bar fixed to the brake cylinder, said guide barbeing pro vided on a portion of its periphery with different camsurfaces for the forward run so that during the rotation of the pistonrod, the slides controlling the forward run, receive a differentposition relatively to the sectional area of the said channels andthereby vary these so that the greater the elevation and the resultingangle of rotation the greater the sectional area becomes during theforward run.

22. In a fluid brake for guns, a fluid brake cylinder, a recoil devicetherein comprising two members relatively movable in two direct-ions atright angles to each, said recoil device being arranged to be controlledduring recoil by one of said relative movements and to be set to meetthe requirements of different gun elevations by the other of saidrelative movements, and means actuated by the movement of the gun inelevation and arranged to produce said setting movement of the twomembers.

23. In a fluid brake for guns, the combination, with a gun arranged tobe adjusted in elevation, a fluid brake cylinder, and a recoil devicetherein comprising two members arranged for relative axial and angularmovements, said recoil device being arranged to be set by one of saidrelative movements and to be controlled during recoil by the other ofsaid relative movements, of means actuated by the movement of the gun inelevation and arranged to cause that relative movement of said memberswhich sets the recoil device.

24. The combination, with a carriage, and

a gun arranged to be adjusted in elevation and to recoil relative tosaid carriage, of a cylinder, a recoil device within the cylinder andcomprising two members arranged for axial and angular movements relativeto each other, said recoil device being arranged to be set by one ofsaid movements and to be controlled during recoil by the other of saidmovements, and means whereby the adjustment of the gun in elevation willproduce one relative movement of said members to set the recoil deviceand the recoil of the gun will produce the other relative movement tocontrol the recoil.

25. In a fluid brake for guns, the combination, with a brake cylinderand a piston provided with ports for the braking fluid, of avalve-mechanism operating member, said member and the piston havingaxial and angular movements relative to each other, a valve mechanismfor controlling said ports, said valve mechanism being arranged to beset before firing by one of said relative movements and to be actuatedduring recoil by the other of said relative movements, and meansactuated by the movement of the gun in elevation and arranged to causethat relative movement of said member which sets the valve mechanism.

26. In a fluid brake for guns, the combination, with a brake cylinder,and a piston provided with ports for the braking fluid, of a valvemechanism arranged to control said ports, and a member for operatingsaid valve-mechanism, said member and the piston having two movementsrelative to each other, one of said movements being at right angles tothe other, one of which sets the valve-mechanism before firing and theother of which controls the flow of fluid through the ports of thepiston during the recoil, the gun being arranged to cause one of saidrelative movements by its recoil and the other of said relativemovements by its adjustment in elevation.

27. In a recoil device, the combination, with a recoil cylinder, apiston head therein and provided with ports, and a valvemechanismarranged to control said ports, of a hollow piston rod connected to saidpiston head, and a valve-mechanism controlling member within the hollowpiston rod, axially movable with relation thereto and arranged to movethe valve-mechanism.

28. The combination with a cannon and fluid recoil-checking devicestherefor, of means for varying the dimensions of the fluid-passage ofsaid checking devices during recoil, and guide-surfaces extendinglongitudinally of the recoil devices and adapted to control the actionof said means and cause the length of recoil to vary in accordance withchanges in the elevation of the gun.

29. The combination with a cannon and fluid recoil-checking devices, ofmeans in cluding adapted to vary said passage from its maximum to itsminimum size at different distances in the rearward travel of the gun inrecoil.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature to this specification,in the pres ence of two witnesses. V

KARL VOLLER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM ESSENWEIN, ERNEST ANDRE.

Copies of this natent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

